Multiple locker



Patented June 27, 1939 PATENT OFFICE MULTIPLE LOCKER Henry A. Forrer,Canton, Ohio, assignor to John- Full Steel Products, Inc., Canton, Ohio,a corporation of Ohio Application June 3, 1938, Serial No. 211,619

Claims.

The invention relates to lockers or compartments for storing clothes,supplies and the like, and more particularly to a multiple locker theindividual units of which operate simultaneously 1 and are controlled bya single locking means.

The present improved multiple locker is particularly adapted for use inschool rooms and the like where it is desirable that a group ofindividual or student lockers be operated simultaneously only at thewill of the teacher or person in charge.

Prior multiple locker constructions have provided for simultaneouslyopening and closing a plurality of individual units, but the doors ofsaid units project a substantial distance out in front of the locker,either when they are in open position or during their opening andclosing movement, thereby requiring extra room space for clearance.

In certain of these prior constructions the doors of the individualunits are hinged or pivoted in such a way that they swing out of onecompartmerit space in closed position and into another compartment spacein open position, With this arrangement, the individual doors swing outinto the room during their opening and closing movements, and also wastespace is required within the compartment which cannot be used forstorage, since the extra space is unoccupied when 30 the doors areclosed and is occupied by one of the units when the doors are in openposition.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providea multiple locker in which the individual units thereof do not projectout 35 into the room when they are in open position.

Another object is to provide an improved multiple locker in which theindividual units swing out into the room a minimum amount during theiropening and closing movements.

40 A further object is to provide an improved multiple locker in whichall of the compartment space may be utilized for storage without beingaffected by the opening and closing movements of the individual units.

45 Another object is to provide an improved multiple locker having itsindividual units interlock in both open and closed positions so as toprevent unauthorized movement thereof.

A further object is to provide an improvedv 50 multiple locker in whichthe individualunits are pivotally mounted in such a way as tosubstantially prevent springing'or-iorcing the units out of position,especially when they are in open posi- 7 tion. 55 These and otherobjects are attained by the improvements comprising the presentinvention, a preferred embodiment of which is disclosed and describedherein by way of example, and defined in the appended claims;

In general terms the invention may be stated as comprising a multiplelocker including angularly shaped door units movable simultaneously,each unit being pivotally mounted centrally of itself in such a way thatthe unit swings substantially within its own compartment space duringits en- 10 tire opening and closing movement.

Referring to the drawing iorming part hereof.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a multiple locker in open position andembodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view showing the locker in closed position, apartially open positionv of the individual units being shown in dottedlines;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the locker in fully open position; 20

Fig. 4 is a transverse fragmentary sectional view through the top of thelocker at one of the individual units; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the means forlocking the doors in open and closed positions,

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views ofthe drawing.

As shown in the drawing, the improved multiple locker preferablyincludes a top wall 6, a bottom wall 'Lside or end walls 8 and 9, and arear wall l0 forming a locker compartment which is adapted to fit in abuilding recess provided in a school room or the like where the lockeris to be used.

It is usually desirable to provide one or more individually accessiblecompartment spaces in the locker compartment, and accordingly a supplycloset indicated generally at Il may be located at one end of thecompartment by providing a partition wall I2 spaced from end wall 8 andprovid- 40 ing suitable shelves l3 therein. A flat door [4 may be hingedon end wall 8 and arranged for being individually locked by a lock 15.

Similarly, a teachers closet or locker compartment space indicatedgenerally at [6 may be provided at the other end of the compartment, andis provided with a fiat door I! hinged on end wall 9 and adapted to beindividually locked by a lock I8.

The space between the supply closet I I and the teachers closet I6 isdivided into individual locker compartments by means of individualdoorsv indicated generally at D. These doors are L- shaped in crosssection and each includes two side panels 213 and 2| which are joinedtogether at a corner of the door and which extend substantially at rightangles to each other. The panels 20 may be termed the front panels,because they form the front sides of the doors in closed position, as

shown in Fig. 2.

Each door D preferably has a web member 22 at the top and a web member23 at the bottom thereof, and the web members extend between the panels20 and 21 and have curved outer edges as shown at 24 formingsubstantially triangular shaped webs. The bottom web members 23 may beused as bottom shelves if desired.

Preferably the web members 22 and 23 are pivotally mounted centrally ofthe panels 20 and 2| at the center of each compartment formed thereby onthe top and bottom walls 6 and 1 respectively of the compartment. Asshown in Fig. 4, the mounting means may include a pivot pin 25 securedin the web member and rotatably received in a bushing 26 mounted on achannel member 2'! secured to the compartment top Wall. The mountingmeans at the bottoms of the doors may be the same as at the topsthereof, or may include suitable anti-friction bearings, the pivot pins25 being secured in the web members 23 and rotatably mounted on bottomwall I.

The doors D are operatively connected together for simultaneous openingand closing movement by means of an operating bar 28 extendinglongitudinally of the locker compartment and pivotally connected to eachdoor D. Preferably the bar 28 extends across the tops of the doors,being pivoted to the web members 22 thereof as at 29, although the barcould just as well be located at the bottoms of the doors and be pivotedto the bottom web members 23.

The panels 28 and 2| of the doors D may be constructed of sheet metaland the corner joining the panels is preferably rabbetted to form avertically extending channel or groove indicated at 38. Preferably eachpanel 29 and El projects beyond the curved edges of the web members 22and 23 of each door, as shown at 35, and these projecting portions areadapted to fit into the corner channels 38 of adjacent doors forinterlocking the doors D in open and closed positions.

The curved edges 24 of the web members 22 and 23 are so constructed asto clear the corners of adjacent doors, when the doors aresimultaneously opened or closed, in a manner indicated by the dottedline positions of the doors in Fig. 2.

In the closed position of Fig. 2, the projecting portion of each panel28 of the doors fits into and interlocks with the channel 30 of the nextadjacent door to the left, as viewed in the drawing, the flat supplycloset door it and partition wall !2 being constructed so as to form achannel indicated at 32 for receiving the projection 3| of panel 20 ofthe door D adjacent thereto. In this position, the free or swinging edgeportion 33 of door 5! is similarly received in the corner channel 38 ofthe door D adjacent thereto and thus all of the doors D as well as flatdoors I 4 and I! are interlocked with each other.

In the open position of Fig. 3 the projection iii of each panel 2! fitsinto and interlocks with the channel 38 of the next adjacent door to theleft, the partition l2 of closet H being offset at 35 for receiving theprojection on panel 2! the door D adjacent thereto.

By means of this interlocking construction, locking one of said doors Dagainst movement when in either open or closed position, will positiyelyprevent unauthorized movement of any of the doors D, as by springing orforcing said doors out of position relative to each other. The lookingmeans may be the single lock 18 mounted on the teachers door ll,arranged when door ll is closed to engage with panel 2| of the adjacentdoor D, when the doors D are in closed position, thus locking all thedoors D as well as door H in their closed positions.

In order to lock the doors D in open position, the free or swinging edgeportion 33 of door I! may be inwardly flanged so as to fit over theprojecting portion 3! of panel 29 of the adjacent door D in openposition, as shown in Fig. 5, and the bolt 36 of lock i8 may be engagedwith said panel 26. Since the doors D are interlocked with each other inopen position by means of projections 3! and channels 30, the act oflocking the fiat door II with the adjacent panel 26 will lock all of thedoors in open position against closing movement.

By locating the pivots 25 intermediate the panels 26 and iii of therespective doors and substantially centrally of the compartment spacesdefined by the doors, the doors D will swing substantially within theirown compartment spaces during opening and closing movement, and will notswing out into the room any material distance. The dotted positions ofdoors D shown in Fig. 2 indicate the maximum distance the doors projectin front of the locker compartment at any time during opening andclosing movement.

Thus in closed position, as shown in Fig. 2, the side panels 2i of doorsD define the individual compartment spaces, and the panel 2| adjacentthe teachers closet It serves as an inner partition wall therefor, sothat said closet can be individually used at any time without moving ordisturbing any of the doors D.

When the doors D are swung to open position, the panels 25 occupy thespaces or positions formerly occupied by panels 2! when the doors wereclosed, so that the same compartment spaces are defined by said panels28 as were defined by panels 2! when the doors were closed.Consequently, since each door D occupies substantially the samecompartment space in open and closed positions, and during its openingand closing movement, there is no waste space in the locker compartment,and substantially all of it may be utilized for storage.

If desired the doors D may be provided with suitable shelves indicatedat 38 having hangers thereon, and similar shelves 39 may be provided inthe teachers closet it, as shown.

For the purpose of ventilation, the top wall 8 of the multiple lockercompartment may be slotted adjacent the rear wall H3 as shown at id, toprovide communication between the room and the air inside the lockercompartment. Thus when the doors D are closed, air can circulate throughslot 40 and thence through all of the individual compartment spaceswhich open toward the rear wall and are therefore accessible by means ofslot 4!].

In the operation of the improved multiple locker, assuming the doors Dto be in closed position, the teacher has but to unlock and open thedoor I l of closet It, and by pushing on panel 2! of adjacent door D allof the doors D may be simultaneously swung to the open position of Fig.3. If desired the doors 'may be locked in open position by merelyclosing door l7 and looking it in engagement with the adjacent panel 20,in the manner indicated in Fig. 5.

Due to the fact that doors D are pivoted substantially centrallythereof, the doors will resist being sprung or forced out of position,as by a student standing or pressing on the edge of the lower webmembers 23.

With the present improved construction, the swinging doors are whollywithin the compartment in both open and closed positions and swing outinto the room a relatively negligible distance during their opening andclosing movements.

Various changes and modifications in details of construction andarrangement are comprehended as being within the scope of the presentinvention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: a

l. A multiple locker including walls defining a 7 compartment,individual L-shaped doors having joined front and side panels definingindividual compartment spaces in open and closed positions, web meansextending between the panels of each of the doors, and means pivotallymounting said web means on the compartment walls and located so that thefront panel of each door when fully open occupies the position of theside panel thereof when the door is closed, said doors being adapted toswing from open to closed position substantially within the compartmentspaces defined by their panels, and means operatively connecting thedoors for simultaneous opening and closing movement thereof.

2. A multiple locker including walls defining a compartment, a pluralityof individual L-shaped doors operatively connected together forsimultaneous opening and closing movement, said individual doors eachhaving a front panel and a side panel and said doors defining individualcompartment spaces, a substantially triangular Web member connecting thefront and side panels of each door, and means pivotally mounting eachweb member at the center of an individual compartment space whereby inopen position the front panel of each door is wholly within thecompartment and occupies the space occupied by its side panel in closedposition.

3. A multiple locker including walls defining a compartment, a pluralityof individual L-shaped doors operatively connected together forsimultaneous opening and closing movement, said individual doors eachhaving a front panel and a side panel and said doors defining individualcompartment spaces, a web member connecting the front and side panels ofeach door, means pivotally mounting said web members on said compartmentwalls for opening and closing movement of the doors, the pivot meansbeing located so that in open position the front panel of each dooroccupies the space occupied by its side panel in closed position, andmeans on said doors for interlocking with adjacent doors in open andclosed position.

4. A multiple locker including top, bottom, rear and side walls defininga compartment, a plurality of individual doors operatively connectedtogether for simultaneous opening and closing movement, said doors eachhaving a front and a side panel connected at a corner thereof and theside panels defining individual compartment spaces when the doors are inclosed position, means pivotally mounting each door on the top andbottom compartment walls at points intermediate the front and sidepanels thereof, and an independently operable door hinged on onecompartment side wall and having means for engaging and locking one ofsaid individual doors in open and closed position.

5. A multiple locker including top, bottom and side walls defining acompartment, a plurality of individual doors operatively connectedtogether for simultaneous opening and closing movement, said doors eachhaving a front panel and a side panel connected at one corner and theside panels defining individual compartment spaces when the doors are inclosed position, a web member for each door connecting its front panelto its side panel, means pivotally mounting the Web members on the topand bottom compartment walls for swinging the doors substantially withintheir own compartment spaces from open to closed position, and singlemeans for locking said doors in open and closed position.

HENRY A. FORRER.

